Let's not contrive a crony-driven disaster at our Celery Fields

Breaking news -- see WWSB Video at site

Two-alarm fire at metal and recycling 

plant sends large plume 

of smoke over Sarasota

By Kamara Daughtry | November 12, 2018 at 2:06 PM EST - Updated November 12 at 3:19 PM

SARASOTA (WWSB) - If you were driving in Sarasota on Monday, you may have seen a large plume of smoke coming from the University and 301 area.

A two-alarm fire started at Suncoast Metals on 51st Street, a metal and recycling plant. The fire started in a pile of rubble and was caused by friction. Fire officials say as the items in the pile rubbed against one another while being pushed and pulled, it got hot enough to start a blaze.

Deputies are assisting with traffic on the scene of an industrial fire near 51st Street and Middle Avenue in Sarasota. You may see smoke nearby; please avoid the area. (Sarasota County Sheriff's Office)

Nearby buildings were evacuated out of caution as crews fought the fire. After the visible flames were out, machinery was used to separate the pile to ensure there were no smaller fires still burning in the pile.

The fire is now out.

The photo below from Kirsten Ketchum Barat shows the massive plume of smoke rising as firefighters battled the blaze:

Fire at metal and recycling plant from Kirsten Ketchum Barat (Source: Kirsten Ketchum Barat)

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Big "Diamond" will diverge from small town plan

A Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) plan to create a large Diverging Diamond interchange at Fruitville Road could render impossible a design for an innovative, walkable small town that's been gathering momentum for nearly 10 years.

From WWSB's Taylor Torregano:

More than 10 years ago, [a group of] property owners began working on the development with Sarasota County Commissioners and one common goal. 

"[It was] designed around pedestrians walk-ability, mixed use and dispersing traffic through a whole street grid," said Steve Suau, the engineer working on the Fruitville Initiative. 

The Fruitville Initiative would resemble a new downtown that was all set to break ground by the end of this year. 

That is, until Thursday (6.21.18) when the Florida Department of Transportation unveiled its plan to put a diverging diamond here at a public hearing. 

Comments from community leaders and developers of the Fruitville Initiative:

Channeling more traffic through the proposed Lakewood Ranch / Fruitville Road intersection could "implode" the walkable street grid that is essential to the plan, said Steve Suau, a stormwater expert who was part of the original community effort.  

"That just defeats the whole purpose of dispersing traffic and walkability," he added.  

 "I think it would destroy it entirely," said Keith Gelder, vp of Stock Development, which recently purchased land to develop within the Initiative. He added:

"There was a very significant effort, a planning effort for the Fruitville Initiative, conducted over the last eight or nine years, with a tremendous amount of community input to try to create a nice new urbanism concept of a walkable community. What FDOT is proposing simply destroys that."

A public meeting at Selby Library on Thursday, June 21, apparently didn't answer anyone's questions. FDOT representatives said they were hearing these concerns for the first time, despite a paper trail going back years. It includes a 2014 letter from the former head of FDOT, Billy Hattaway, which states:

Our goal is to design an interchange . . . that is not only safe and operationally efficient but contextual to the planned Fruitville multi-way boulevard and surrounding compact, walkable, mixed-use development. We welcome the opportunity to continue working with the County and stakeholders in achieving that objective. (Italics added)

 FDOT's site on the project can be found here.

FDOT plans Diverging Diamonds at Fruitville, Bee Ridge, and Clark Roads

Right now, the Fruitville Road project is in the design phase. It's not funded for construction but FDOT officials will meet in the summer to discuss development for the year 2024 or sooner if Sarasota County makes the project a priority. Once approved, construction is expected to cost $86,000,000.

WWSB Erika Jackson story

Roundtable on Celery Fields

Great Round Table with Alan Cohn on WWSB last evening. Entire show is below - a few highlights:

Rob Wright holding up County document showing that properties at "The Quad" - the parcels at Apex Rd. and Palmer Blvd. - were included as part of the Celery Fields as environmental lands. These are the very lands the County now has put out to bid and rezone for industrial use. This appears at 10 min, 21 seconds in the video below.

County Map shows Apex/Palmer quadrant as part of Celery Fields - total compatibility.

See also Cathy Antunes' comments at 12:50 on the failure of the County to update its Critical Area Plan for 25 years on this land. I.e., NO PART of the county's land use - surplusing, bidding, C.A.P., rezoning -- indicates proper care and stewardship of these lands.

See also: 

15:30 "Who's defining the value of an area?" asks Cathy Antunes. Special interests vs. public interests.

16:20 - Jon Thaxton: - The Comprehensive Plan is designed to adjudicate these issues.

16:35 - Notification - Rob Wright, former county employee: "The first thing you do is notify stakeholders" of what is planned before executing the plan.

18:20 - Compatibility. Wright notes that Gabbert's plan is totally incompatible with existing uses of surrounding lands.

19:50 - Thaxton - It's less campaign contributions than commissioners' philosophies on growth, and especially the Comprehensive Plan: "What do the policies direct them to do with this decision they must make?"